The Wilderness Classroom Organization brings educational adventures into the classroom through on-line expeditions. Students can follow expeditions through the Amazon, Peru, Bahamas, and even dog sledding through Manitoba. The site provides archived experiences along with photos, expedition maps and notes from the trail. There are lesson plans, printable pages, standards, podcasts, video clips, and more. This website requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Use the downloadable lesson plans, printable pages, standards, and kid libraries to organize the unit in conjunction with the expedition. Follow upcoming expeditions in real time live in the classroom. Project the expeditions on an interactive whiteboard or screen. Allow students to participate in scheduled live chat sessions with the expedition members or e-mail them personally, using a class email account or student email within school policies.

This "yummy" website has provides practice with three different three food webs. The choices are Meadow Food Web, Arctic Food Web, or Pond Food Web . The activity challenges students to drag and drop animals and plants into their right place on the food web. After students understand how the animals and plant life depend on each other, they'll be able to complete the web quickly. This activity does not allow students to place an animal or plant in the wrong place. The site requires no reading and is attractively designed. The activities are easy to use, and not time-consuming. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

What a highly visual website to use an anticipatory set in science class. Demonstrate the activity on an interactive whiteboard or projection screen; let students take turns manipulating the parts of the web so others can see. Or have students work in cooperative learning groups. Be sure students understand what a food web is before having them work independently. Have students draw a picture of the webs after doing the activity to check for recall.

Open the microscopic world of science to your students with NASA's virtual microscope. The free software (Win, OSX, Linux) comes with access to over 90 multi-dimensional, high-resolution image datasets, training animations, and videos that teach the basics of microscopy. Students can explore and annotate pre-prepared images as if they were using real instruments in real-time. This resource-rich site is one of NASA's career outreach programs and offers loads of information for students and teachers. Subscribe to the RSS feed to be alerted as new data is added every week. This website requires Java and Quick-Time. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Consider having the entire science department request the download and installation of this exciting free software. If you are the lone science teacher, ask your principal to request installation of the software on computers of your choice. Be sure to download the datasets in advance, as file sizes are large. Use a projector or interactive whiteboard to show the microscope view for whole-class discussion. Load the software on student computers for small-group activities.

Be sure to provide this link on your teacher web page. Parents can install the software at home for homework assignments.

Don't be surprised if this unusual website causes some giggles! The website offers reference information and authentic sounds of many California animals. Some of the reference information may be too complex for some young elementary students. There are eight regions of California included (Coastline, Coastal Mountains, Inner Coast Ranges, Central Valley, Sierran Foothill, Sierran Snowbelt, Great Basin, and Desert). There are several animals included from each region. Examples of the animals include the elephant seal, western gull, spotted owl, pacific tree frog, snow goose, tundra swan, tree cricket, red-tailed hawk, coyote, and red-spotted toad. The activities require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Use this fascinating tool for animal research, writing stories, or to improve your students' listening skills as you learn about animals and their habitats. Be sure to use your interactive whiteboard and speakers to share the various sounds of the animals. Have older students take turns reading the reference information (or read it to your younger ones) and then see if you and your class can imitate the sounds of the animals. Don't forget to discuss the different habitats and the types of animals who live there.

This unusual website is set up like a tile puzzle. The unique aspect of this website is that students work as an online team to complete the tile puzzle together. There could be 50 students from around the world working on the same puzzle, without ever communicating. Students click on any of the tiles to answer a question pertaining to the ocean, salt water, or freshwater. If they provide the correct answer, that tile is removed to reveal a piece of the picture. Hints are provided, and second changes are given. The goal of the activity is to move the tiles to reveal the "ocean" picture beneath the surface of the tiles. New puzzles appear frequently (as the puzzles are completed). This website also provides lesson plans relating to the ocean for grades 6-12. The lesson plans correlate with national science standards. You can find the lesson plans by clicking on the Education link. This activity requires FLASH. The lesson plans require Adobe Acrobat. You can get both from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Ideas abound for this motivating website! How about having your students work on individual computers and see how many tiles the class can "move" while working together. Or if individual computers aren't available, this website makes an excellent learning station or group activity using an interactive whiteboard (or projector). Use it as a thirty-second class starter during every day of your Oceans unit. Be aware - this activity is addicting! Your students may be begging to do this activity on a daily basis.

From sea turtles to the Przewalski horse, travel around the cyber globe to learn more about the endangered animals around us. Learn from the authentic field reports, read interviews of animal researchers, or study the essays from folks in the field. The neatest part of this site is the interactive field trip map. Click on the "Choose a Field Trip" link, then 'fly' your plane (using your mouse) over the various flagged locations around the globe. When your mouse moves over the starred area, an information pop-up tells about the endangered animal at that location. For authentic, up-to-the-minute information about our endangered animals, bookmark this site. Some of the activities require Quicktime. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Have students choose one location on the Field Trip map. Do multi-subject projects, by learning about that location's history, culture, etc, and think about how the interaction of the natives may have led to the endangerment of the local animal. Teachers, click on the Teacher Resources link. You will find oodles of lesson plan ideas--most are general strategies that do not pertain to Field Trip Earth, yet are very useful. Learn from others by exchanging your class ideas with other discussion board postings. Don't forget about this site's search engine for your information needs.

This fabulous activity motivates students to use their investigative skills to solve a "kid-friendly" murder case and learn scientific inquiry skills in the process. The "victim" is a wood pigeon. Students must search the crime scene for clues. Then students go to the lab to analyze the clues. Much scientific information and hypothesis testing is imbedded into this activity. This activity requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Visit the Instructions links for details about how to use this program. Use your interactive whiteboard to make this mystery a class challenge. Or use this website as a cooperative learning center. Have students "team-up" into investigative groups. See how many teams can identify the correct culprit. This is a wonderful site to get your students excited about science class.

This engaging website challenges students to create a safe habitat for the black-footed ferret. Students must make decisions about the size of land that is suitable, the type of habitat (i.e. grassland or desert), how the success will be monitored, and security (what kind of fence is needed, if any). This website requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Demonstrate this activity on your interactive whiteboard (or projector). Then divide your class into cooperative learning groups and have the groups design their habitats together. Extend the activity and your animal habitats unit by having students "design" a new habitat (drawing and description) for a mythical animal your class "creates" on your interactive whiteboard. Be sure to save the animal drawing and description from the whiteboard so you can include it with the new "habitats" on a class blog, wiki, or good-old bulletin board.

This interactive science activity traces the steps of a sand lizard throughout a 24-hour time period. The activity presents several questions and provides immediate feedback explaining why the answer was correct or incorrect. A large amount of information is provided. Topics include cold-blooded versus warm-blooded, survival, nocturnal, and others. This activity requires FLASH. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to display this science activity. Divide your class into teams and have the teams guess the correct answer for each question. Be sure the teams provide 1-2 sentences explaining their reasoning for each answer. Or use this activity as a center follow-up after studying animals, adaptations, and habitats to see how well students apply what they have learned. Partner weaker readers with more able ones.

This phenomenal website provides twelve short videos about a variety of oceanography and marine biology topics. Specific video topics include: Predators Among Us, Hawaiian Hotspots, Maritime History, Shipwrecks of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, A Polynesian Story, Saved by a Shark, Biodiversity, SPLASH: Monitoring Humpback Whales, Exploring Plate Tectonics, Volunteer Monitoring, Marine Protected Areas, and SIMoN Says. Each video is only a few minutes in length and could easily be incorporated into your lessons. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Use one of these videos (or several) as an anticipatory set for a science lesson on one of the topics, sharing the video on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Students will enjoy the "up close" look at the ocean and its many creatures. Or have students work in cooperative learning groups and choose one of the videos to view as a group. Have the groups share the information from their video clip. If you are looking for a science research project, why not assign one of the twelve topics to each of your students and have them further investigate the specific topic.

The "Perfect Pearl" was created to coincide with a PBS broadcast. However, the information is useful and informative without viewing the program. The topics include "What's Killing the Oysters," "Culture of Freshwater Pearls," "How Many Pearls," and "The History of Pearls." The "How Many Pearls" activity combines the science of pearls with higher-level math skills.

In the Classroom

This website would make an excellent "mini-research" project or a case study into real world ocean science and the problems of determining man's possible impact on nature. Divide your class into cooperative learning groups. Have the groups delve into one of the four main topics discussed. Then have each group present the information to the remainder of the class or prepare a "presentation" for world gem traders on the future of pearls. Check out the Teacher's Guide for additional ideas about how to integrate this website into your lessons.

What happens when a biologist with a passion for art creates a website? This fabulous animation site shows the artistic side of biological processes along with a few surprises. View animations that demonstrate amino acids and proteins, cell anatomy, evolution time line, Krebs cycle, and photosynthesis, to name a few. Some animations are very simplistic but artfully done. Other links include Architectural art, Fibionacci numbers, and Golden ratios. The site is written in 6 languages. Caution: a link for sale of CD of the animations is also on the page. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Use this site as an introduction to your lessons or as a review on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Your visual/spatial students and budding artists will be especially intrigued by such an approach. Create classroom models of DNA using the 3D stereoscopic models on the site. Follow the animation to write the steps of complex cellular activities. Use the zoom to see close up views of the structures.

Quick, interactive word searches for eight different animals and their habitats make this an easy site to maneuver. Habitats include the forest, swamp, prairie, and others. Students are provided with an animal (for example, find the habitat for the blue shark). Then students guess the habitat by clicking the letters on the word search to spell out the correct habitat. If it is the correct answer, another habitat search loads up. For the younger students, click on 'hint' and the answer is given. Next, the student finds the word in the puzzle. It's simple, but it gives practice.

In the Classroom

This is a quick and easy activity to use during a unit about habitats. Use an interactive whiteboard or projection screen to make this a class challenge. Or use this website as a learning center for cooperative learning groups to try together.

Use logical reasoning, your knowledge of prehistoric animals, and the scientific approach of a paleontologist to match the type of ancient "dung" to the animal who produced it. After finding out if you are right, read about the creature whose droppings are featured. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Hook your reluctant scientists and readers with this interactive challenge. This is a great way to introduce scientific approach and provide students with practice in the logic scientists use. Share the site on a projector or laptops as a whole class or partner activity to introduce your "what is science" unit, especially with skeptical middle schoolers.

This fabulous website about wolves and habitats in Yellowstone allows participants to "live" as a wolf, raise their young, explore the wilderness, go hunting, and survive. Students can work alone or with partners, as they learn about wolves in the wild. Students can consult biologists, write original stories, create drawings, and more. This is the first episode; future installments are expected in late 2008. Students and/or teachers must register (free)to use the program. We recommend using a single class/teacher registration or parent/student written agreements for student registrations in order to prevent inappropriate postings "clever" students might make on the community discussion boards. There are also detailed lesson plans (click on Wolf Info > classroom activities). The lesson plans include national science standards. This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

Introduce this free resource on interactive whiteboard or projector. The lesson plans and interactive activity are both perfect tools to drum up enthusiasm in biology class. The Game Info provides excellent descriptors and instructions for using this program. Be sure to check back for updated episodes. Include this website on your teacher web site (and the activities) as one of a set of activities on animals and their habitats to be done in class or outside. Then challenge your students to work together in documenting local animals and habitats in a class wiki or group science fair project.

Leonardo da Vinci is one of history's greatest geniuses. This site looks at Leonardo's work in ways that highlight how comprehensive and interdisciplinary his impact has been. Of course, you can examine his individual works of art, but this site is organized along threads, which you can access through a traditional menu or through an interactive web. Follow Leonardo's influence in math, through his inventions, in his understanding of the human body or his examination of the natural world. There are also some just-plain-fun flash-enabled games to play: make the Mona Lisa smile broadly by correctly answering questions about her, practice mirror writing, or see if you can power his glider across a ravine.

In the Classroom

Because Leonardo's work crosses so many curricular boundaries, teachers from many different disciplines might find this site useful as part of a lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard, particularly when painting "the big picture" for students (no pun intended!). Art teachers, of course, can access Leonardo's work, but science teachers can use the interactive games to illustrate principles of physics or early understanding of the human body. History or literature teachers might use the site to personify the term "Renaissance Man" for students studying the time period. Whatever your discipline, be sure to make the link available from your teacher web page for curious students to explore outside of class.

This unique website teaches about various animals and habitats while allowing users to create new combinations of animals (for example putting a pig's head, with a zebra's legs, and a dog's tail). Information is provided about all animals used in the "morph" of the new animal. Animals included at this website are the bison, bear, zebra, rhino, pig, monkey, elephant, dog, and cheetah. The program is pretty simple to follow. But for additional instructions, there is a "How to Play" link available. This website requires FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..
Another creative feature of this website is the option of adding a name for the animal and creating a short story about your animal.

In the Classroom

What a fabulous website to use as you teach about habitats and animals, then launch into a creative writing project. Students can use their own creativity to combine various parts of animals together to form an all-new animal and show what they have learned about how animals adapt to their habitat. Extend the activity by incorporating a writing activity. Have the students share their new animals and stories on an interactive whiteboard. Or even create a class book exhibiting all of the animals at "Mr. Smith's Zoo". Remember that PowerPoint slides make an easy way to write and incorporate clip art, then combine and print into a big book.

This MUST SEE interactive science website features eight specific areas. The "News" section includes weekly news updates and features. "Wired" has challenging interactive games for grades 4-12. "Sci-Teach" provides countless resources for teachers of all grades. "Out There" takes you to the "back garden of science delights," including inventors, sound, vampires, and the flu. "Parents" has useful ideas - even science experiments for children's parties. "Under 11s" is geared for younger students, an excellent collection!. The activities teach traditional science topics using new multimedia. The "Next Steps" link challenges students to think about their future careers (both science and non-science). There are printable pages and interactive activities for elementary, middle, and high school students. The "Library" link features countless online science resources.

In the Classroom

Nearly all of the activities are ideal for interactive whiteboards (or projectors). This site is so rich it may be overwhelming. If you are an elementary teacher, start at the "Under 11s" link. Otherwise, visit the "Sci-Teach" link first for some excellent ideas, resources, and science fun. Preview this site before starting any science unit to find related activites and extensions.

This timely website is all about stem cells. PBS created this wonderful interactive website that includes a 14-minute video, slide show, printable pages, and a wealth of information. Specific topics vary from the cloning process to the politics of stem cells. This website analyzes how to find the balance between respecting life (human embryos) and the hope for finding cures for various diseases by using stem cells. The interactive pages and video require FLASH. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..

In the Classroom

What a fabulous site to use for a class debate on stem cells. Share the video and research with your students. Then have your students participate in a class debate or compose a writing piece to share their views on the subject. There is a detailed lesson plan included (see the "Teacher's Guide" for more information).

Enter a search term or click the pulldown of science topics to see a graphical representation of how standards-based math and science concepts fit together and interrelate, then click on a single standards to find web resources and lesson plans specifically for that concept. Seeing the concepts organized in a hierarchy from K to grade 12 and "connected" to the precursors and following standards makes it much easier to see where your students have been and where they are headed in science before and after you teach them. The best part is that you can find exactly the resources you need to get them where they need to go.

In the Classroom

Mark this in your Favorites on TeachersFirst to access it every time you start a new science topic or unit. Consider sharing a simpler version of the same map, created in Inspiration or using an online tool such as Gliffy (our review here) or Mindomo (see review )to show your students how the content in your science classes fit with their prior knowledge and connect from unit to unit. About a month before the year ends, challenge them to work in small groups and create their OWN annotated concept maps of the "big ideas" studied during the school year.